<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">With the futures game played out at last week's NBA draft, teams can start to pursue established talent through free agency. Teams may begin negotiating with free agents today, though they cannot sign players until July 16. But for most franchises, including the Celtics, free agency is a waiting game that will last well into the summer. Like most NBA organizations, the Celtics are over the salary cap and want to keep payroll costs down next season, making them especially wary of luxury tax implications. As a result, Boston will not use the available mid-level exception of $4.95 million. So, director of basketball operations Danny Ainge and his staff will watch to see where the big names go for the big money. Then, the Celtics will court players who fit their needs for far less cash in an effort to fill out what likely will be a 13-man roster. According to Ainge, Boston either will sign free agents to veteran minimum contracts or work out sign-and-trade deals. But given the Celtics' proactive pursuit of Marcus Banks on draft night, it's clear Ainge will work the phones to get a player the team can use. ''Sitting back is not my style,'' said Ainge. ''Since 10 o'clock where I'm at right now in Utah, I've been on the phone all day long with different teams and my own staff. We've been talking a lot, going through all the different options that we've already gone through over and over again. But teams are starting to talk sign-and-trade. ''There's a lot of possibilities right now. I'm preparing for different things. There's some free agents that I like, but we're not in the ballpark for the big-name free agents, unfortunately. ''We're trying to get guys that want to come to Boston because of the opportunity that they might have, certainly not because of the money that we have. Those aren't the guys that are costing millions and millions of dollars, but maybe a $1.4 million that might want to come play for us for the minimum.'' The two biggest names among eligible free agents this summer are point guard Jason Kidd and power forward Jermaine O'Neal. Then there are veteran superstars like Karl Malone, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, and Scottie Pippen. But like last summer, free agents enter a buyers' market, where few teams are far enough below the cap to offer contracts worth significantly more than the mid-level exception. San Antonio, Denver, Utah, and the Los Angeles Clippers are among the lucky few. Kidd plans to visit the Spurs next week, while O'Neal has told Indiana officials he also will explore his options in San Antonio. Ainge put athletic point guards, small forwards, power forwards, and centers on the Celtics' wish list, though he did not want to divulge names of players in whom he was interested. There are a couple of names that come quickly to mind, such as Antonio Daniels and Erick Strickland. Walter McCarty and Mark Blount, two of the Celtics' own free agents, also would fit. Ainge said that he would sign McCarty and Blount for veteran minimums today if he could. But both McCarty and Blount are looking for offers greater than their respective veteran minimums and Ainge doesn't blame them. And while Ainge works at continuing to shape the roster for next season through free agency, reports of serious trade talks between Boston and New York surfaced in the New York Daily News yesterday. One deal had Antoine Walker going to the Knicks for Latrell Sprewell. Another rumor had Walker going to New York in a possible three-team trade. Ainge discredited the reports. ''It's definitely not true, any of it,'' said Ainge. ''I don't care if it's from the New York Post or the Boston Globe. I have serious talks with everybody, but there's nothing close to happening. What is a serious trade talk? If it's where you exchange ideas, I've had many serious trade talks, but nothing that has been close to happening. Nothing is close to happening with Antoine.'' </div> http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/182/spor...g_of_cap+.shtml[/url]
great. danny ainge u genius. youre gonna make the celtics into a contender with a ONEPOINTFOURMILLIONDOLLAR PLAYER???? WHATS THE MATTER? GRANT LONG ISNT QUITE CRAPPY ENOUGH????????
